Two toddlers died of heat exhaustion when their fathers forgot they were strapped in

[Albion Dan]

You don't need to lecture me on how precious children's lives are.

But if the wife put the baby in the car and never told him and he assumed baby was safe and sound at home with mum then I can totally understand why he never checked his car. Sounds like a complete breakdown in communication between the two parents with the worst possible consequence.

I'm sorry how could you not notice your child was in the back of the car? What sort of car would you have to be driving? A Stretch Limo?

I personally think its unforgivable to forget your child is in the back of a car and leave them there. Im sure almost all parents on here, including myself, are always sure that out childs welfare is at the front of our minds whenever we are in charge of them.

 

[JBizzleBeard]

To be fair in my job as Site Manager (Caretaker/Janitor if you like) it is my responsibility to ensure the health AND safety of 300+ children, I do this job with 100% concentration at all times as I know if anything were to happen to any of the children at the school, then I would more than likely be the one to blame.
I have not said once that I want the parents of these poor children to be strung up by the bollocks, ya'll over reacting in a way that only NS bastad C can do.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I personally think its unforgivable to forget your child is in the back of a car and leave them there. Im sure almost all parents on here, including myself, are always sure that out childs welfare is at the front of our minds whenever we are in charge of them.

I'm sure Monsieur Greiving Father held the same view.

I think "directly" was the wrong choice of word. I meant they don't ensure/guarantee a tragic outcome. Most people, including me, drive up the motorway at far in excess of 70mph and we're not all dead yet. The chances of killing yourself through speeding is remote. The chances of killing a child by leaving it in a boiling hot, glass-enclosed space for hours on end is pretty high, if not certain.

Yes, but for the sixth time, he didn't WILFULLY do that.

 

[Brovion]

I don't know how old your children are.

But all parents find, sooner or later, that they have to trust their kids to their own devices. At first, this might mean no more than letting them walk, alone, down the street and round the corner to their friend's house.

But is there danger in that?

Possibly. Probably not. Who knows?

What I know is that NO parent can or should bring up children on the basis that they will "never put their children's lives in any danger ever". Sooner or later, you MUST. If you don't, you are depriving your kids of their RIGHT to learn how to be responsible for themselves.

I think to be fair to Trojan Scold there's 'life' and there's 'parental irresponsibility'. I put my children's lives in danger every day when I allow them to cross the road on their own, but I don't think that's what he meant.

I must admit that whilst I can be a pea-brained moron at times I have NEVER forgotten where my kids are/were. I do find it incredible that other concerns (worrying about work for example) can distract people so much that they acted the way these men did.

EDIT: PS - Is their behaviour better or worse than the McCanns or just 'differently dreadful'?

 

[hans kraay fan club]

No quite the same as leaving a child in a searing hot car for a day mate. Disgusting imo.

I have not said once that I want the parents of these poor children to be strung up by the bollocks, .

Metaphorically speaking, you are doing just that, in your first comment, in that you treat the man's actions as DELIBERATE.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

So that's perfectly ok then? A child is dead but he didn't mean to do it so we'll just forget about it?

Yes, well done, that's exactly what I said, isn't it? Have a biscuit.

 

[Starry]

I'm sorry how could you not notice your child was in the back of the car? What sort of car would you have to be driving? A Stretch Limo?

I personally think its unforgivable to forget your child is in the back of a car and leave them there. Im sure almost all parents on here, including myself, are always sure that out childs welfare is at the front of our minds whenever we are in charge of them.

So do I. But apparently the father didn't think he was in charge of her and that she was with the mother, none of us know what happened, whose wires were crossed. But genuine accidents do happen, sometimes.

My son rear faces in an infant carrier with a canopy. If he is asleep/quiet and my husband had put him in without telling me (our seats stay in the car all the time) I can quite easily see how someone could not notice him there.

 

[Wardy]

Until we know the full facts, that is assuming that we ever do, I think all we can do is pity these people. It must be one thing to lose a child, and just thinking about the idea makes me feel sick.

To lose a child because of something that you do / did not do must be totally soul destroying.

I am not saying that these fathers should get off scott free, but I do think that their own personal torment is going to be a lot worse then anything that the police throw at them.

 

[Skint Gull]

Put it like this, if my job was to, say, be responsible for the lowering of a level crossing barrier every time a train passed, but just once I forgot to lower it and a car got smashed up by a train and the people inside died, could I be absolved of any crime/punishment purely because I 'forgot'? Of course, I wouldn't have meant for the people to have died, but ultimately it was my job to protect them, just like it's this guy's job to protect his child.

Yes, if you have killed innocent people who you do not know and who's families will want justice then you're right, you would have to take any punishment handed to you.

I am not saying that these fathers should get off scott free, but I do think that their own personal torment is going to be a lot worse then anything that the police throw at them.

However as Wardy says, the biggest punishment the FAMILY (not just the husband by the sound of it) will have is living with that guilt. Locking up somebody like this will do nobody any good whatsoever, as Simon has been saying, sometimes tragic accidents do happen, there doesn't always have to be someone to blame

 

[Lord Bracknell]

there doesn't always have to be someone to blame

This is NSC.

There ALWAYS has to be someone to blame. For EVERYTHING.

 

[London Calling]

But Somehow Said Baby Was Placed In The Back Seat?

By One Of The Parents.

Then Obviously Left Alone. So We Talking Of Being In A Public Place And Not Being Overseen At This Point.


Then Dad Either Was Not Told Of The Baby Or Forgot?

Not An Action I Would Condone.

 

[London Calling]

I'm sure Monsieur Greiving Father held the same view.




Yes, but for the sixth time, he didn't WILFULLY do that.

bUT WE DON'T KNOW THAT YET? did he pop in into the office for 15 mins to complete that urgent task?






















and then left the office with the nuclear reactor top left off....................................

 

[hans kraay fan club]

bUT WE DON'T KNOW THAT YET? did he pop in into the office for 15 mins to complete that urgent task?

Well, this report is taken from YOUR original post on this thread;

"He parked the car at 9am and walked into his office at Areva, the French state nuclear operator.

The outside temperature was no more than 25C (77F), which is relatively low for southern France during the summer. Inside the car, it rose to 45C, according to fire officers.

At 4pm, the father got back into the car to fetch his five-year-old son from the town's nursery school - still apparently unaware that Zoé was in the baby seat. “He didn't even realise that the child was dead in the back of the car,” said a police source.

It was more than an hour later that he finally noticed his daughter. He drove directly to the local fire and ambulance station but rescue workers were unable to revive her. "



So it would seem that the scenario you are now making up, is wide of the mark. And pretty unhelpful.


I am interested to know what kind of car it was, though. Presumably the 5 year old went in the back, rather than the front seat. Was it a seven seater, with three rows, maybe?

 

[Lady Bracknell]

Even when they were ASLEEP in the back of your car?

They worked a shift system. Even when very, very, young!

 

[JBizzleBeard]

I don't know how old your children are.

But all parents find, sooner or later, that they have to trust their kids to their own devices. At first, this might mean no more than letting them walk, alone, down the street and round the corner to their friend's house.

But is there danger in that?

Possibly. Probably not. Who knows?

What I know is that NO parent can or should bring up children on the basis that they will "never put their children's lives in any danger ever". Sooner or later, you MUST. If you don't, you are depriving your kids of their RIGHT to learn how to be responsible for themselves.

Lord B, out of pretty much everyone on NSC you are one of the people that I really do believe talks a lot of sense, but on this one you are way off the mark with what I meant.

 

[twickers]

This thread is pointless, absolutely pointless. Actually worse than that, it's frivolous intellectual masturbation out of a terrible, terrible situation. I've read the story, it just makes me feel terrible and unhappy at the thought of it and my heart goes out to the parents and what the guy must have been feeling and is living with. In the spirit of those kids I find this thread pointless.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

My heart too, goes out to the people involved in this terrible accident, which is exactly why I felt the need to waste a part of my working day arguing against those seeking to demonise the poor parents.